Belarus, Venezuela, Syria to work on joint projects - Lukashenko

Belarus, Venezuela and Syria are working on a series of joint projects, due to be signed by the countries' presidents in Damascus, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.

"[Venezuelan President] Hugo Chavez has suggested establishing mutual projects between Syria, Venezuela and Belarus and approving them in Damascus," Lukashenko told a press conference following talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.

Lukashenko said the foreign ministers of the three countries are discussing which areas the projects might focus on.

He said that the two presidents also agreed to work on joint projects between Syria, Qatar and Belarus.

During the talks, Belarus and Syria agreed to bilateral cooperation in a range of spheres, from military-technical to agricultural. Lukashenko said Belarus is ready to help Syria implement plans to develop its electric energy sector.

Belarus and Syria signed seven agreements in various sectors, including agriculture and earth remote sensing.